By Myself
by falangel
Summary: When Angela receives a call from the Mayor of Castanet saying that her grandfather, who she had never met before, had died, Angela is caught between choosing life at the City or settling down in a place she had never heard before.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harvest Moon.

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**Chapter 1**

I got the call while I was still in class. The caller sure was persistent; this was the fourth call in a row. I look down at my cellphone's screen, to see a number I don't recognize. Defeated, I leave the classroom to answer the call.

To sum it up, the whole call seemed like a ridiculous scam, a way to lure me so they'd steal my vital organs and sell them in the black market or something- okay; well, maybe not that morbid. Perhaps it was actually true. Sadly, I will never really know for sure. The story goes like this: the caller claims to be the mayor of an island I've never really heard about. He said the local farmer and my apparent grandfather had died a couple of seasons ago. In his will, my late "grandfather", left the farm to his only son- my father. Problem is, no one has heard from my father in years, he could be dead for all I know, although sometimes I pretend he is one of the homeless people I pass on my way to University. That's not the point, the strange mayor continued saying that the only real link to my father they could actually find was a hospital record from the day I was born. Thus leading them to me, after a season of searching. As farfetched as this all sounds, the "mayor" wants me to visit the island and take over the farm. Yeah, easy enough for a girl that has lived in the City her whole life, right? Things is, this whole thing would be a hundred times easier, if I could simply ask my mom about this, unfortunately, my mother passed away about a year ago. So asking her is definitely out of the question and as I mentioned, my father could be dead for all I know. The call ended with the mayor of the island called Castanet, telling me he will call tomorrow, to hear what my decision is, he also let me know there was a "replace farmer" –or so he called it, at the moment, taking care of the land.

I'm stuck in a position that I really don't know what to do. For one part, it wouldn't hurt to go visit this "Castanet" and learn about my family, maybe learn some farming, or whatever my grandfather did. Yet, for another part, I just started the second semester in my second year of University, I have a miserable job and a comfortable apartment. I have worked really hard for it, for everything, I can't just give it up. I could always, take a break from University, see what this farming deal is about… why can't I seem to not let any opportunity pass… Sigh. I walk into the classroom again, grab my things and head to the library, I got to research this Castanet Island…

~ooOOoo~

About a week later, I find myself, along with a suitcase of clothes, on a boat to Castanet. What can I say? The island was quite beautiful in the pictures that were online, plus, the story the mayor said matched up with a couple articles I found. The morning after the mayor's call, I arranged to stay in Castanet for a week, I guess a week is enough time to figure out if I actually want to live there. After the week is up, I will return to the city and either pack my bags or stay.

During the boat ride, I stay in my cabin most of the time. I lay on the small bed and dozed off. Later I am woken up by a loud bell, alerted; I quickly grab my suitcase and run to deck. I look around to see the ship's captain over by the railing; I walk over to him as he turns around

"Ahoy young lass! We're almost to shore!" The captain puts the pipe back on his mouth. I smile at him.

"I'm Pascal, pleasure on meeting you lass" The old captain smiled, I run a hand through my mousey brown hair

"My name's Angela, nice to meet you too!" I say sheepishly

"I'm sure you will love this place and if you ever find yourself in trouble, don't hesitate on counting on me" Captain Pascal said

"Thank you. However, I hope I won't have many problems!" I said and the Captain laughed.

"You better gather your things; I assume it will take no longer than ten minutes to reach Castanet." With that the Captain left the deck.

I lean on the boat's railing, feeling the ocean breeze on my face. I can see land in the distance, a big smile grows on my face, and sudden excitement rushes through me. I can tell I'm going to love this place.

Once the ship stops at the pier, I grab my suitcase and carefully get out of the boat. A small plump man, wearing a blue tailored suit waved enthusiastically at my direction, I look over my shoulder just to be sure he meant me. I approach the man and he takes my suitcase eagerly, I can't help but to stare at him blankly

"Good to see you! My name is Hamilton; I'm the mayor around here. First and foremost Welcome to Castanet!" the man said happily, shaking my hand with his free one.

"Thank you! I'm Angela. Nice to meet you" I said politely, a huge smile spreads on the mayor's face

"Very well, assuming you are tired from the long trip, let's get you settled right away. You can meet all the town's folk and explore the districts tomorrow!" I chuckled nervously "Follow me" The mayor said, turning and marching away, I followed quickly behind him.

As we pass some buildings, the mayor explained what they were and talked happily about the people that lived there. Honestly, I wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying; the scenery was much more interesting. The sun was slowing setting over the ocean; streaks of orange, red, purple and blue decorated the sky. As we pass a bridge streetlamps were starting to light up.

"…and here it is, your grandfather's farmland… Lyra Farm" The mayor said with open arms. I look around to see a huge plot of land, three fields, only one of them in use, a lake near a shabby looking house, next to two even shabbier looking buildings, the whole place just seems…abandoned.

"…It really is something…" I try to hide the disappointment in my voice. I don't know, I was expecting to see fields of flowers and crops, big trees, animals running around… The only sign of life in this farm seems to be coming from inside the house

"Um, mayor…"

"Please call me Hamilton, my dear…" the mayor said looking in his pockets

"Right, I think there's someone inside" I said pointing at the window, there was light coming from inside

"Let's go greet them then!" The mayor said, a bit too happy in my opinion…

"That's not what I meant" I muttered under my breath, I followed the mayor reluctantly. I thought I was supposed to have this house all to myself… The mayor knocked three times on the door

"Coming!" a distant voice said from the inside, the mayor looked at me and smiled. The door slowly opened, revealing a boy, about my age. He was shirtless, I noticed his skin was very tanned, I assume he works under the sun a lot, I look up to his face, the boy, now frowning, runs a hand through his long spiky brown hair, his cat like, brown eyes scan from the mayor to myself

"Was that…today?" the boy said nervously, leaning on the door frame

"I left you a notice in your mailbox this morning, did you not get it?" the mayor replied, his voice as happy as ever, I stand there awkwardly, not really knowing what's going on. The boy crosses his arms and looks over his shoulder

"Crap!" he said quietly or at least I think that's what he said. The boy glances over at me and then back to the mayor "I, uh, forgot… So I haven't really cleared up… at all…" the boy said quite awkwardly not making eye contact with the mayor

"Very well! Now this is a turn of events!" the mayor said, really now Hamilton, I would have thought this was exactly what was planned… "Nonetheless, Kasey, this is Angela, old Jack's granddaughter. Angela, this is Kasey, he has been taking care of the place since your grandfather passed away…" the mayor continued, I looked at Kasey as he shifted his weight to hold out a hand, I shook it quickly

"Nice to meet you" I said courteously. The boy- Kasey, smiled showing off his brilliant pearly whites.

"Come on in, we can discuss what to do inside" Kasey opened the door widely, disappearing inside. The mayor walked in, placing my suitcase by the door, I followed behind him "Sorry, it's a bit messy…" Kasey said, closing the door. I look around the studio like house, in my standards, mess was an understatement, but then again he was a boy living by himself, what I should expect… The bed was undone, the wardrobe was open, drawers spilled their contents, and the hamper piled up dirty clothes. I look over to see the mayor siting on a table in the middle of the room, apart from a couple of beer cans and a newspaper, the table might be the cleanest surface of the whole house. I sit next to the mayor; Kasey quickly picks up the empty beer cans and throws them in the thrash. He goes over to the kitchen, were utensils and dirty plates covered nearly every surface

"Would you like something to drink" Kasey calls out, I shake my head and the mayor politely declines "Right… well, what's the plan?" Kasey takes a sit in front of the mayor

"There seems to be a slight problem, Angela, was supposed to stay here tonight" the mayor began, Kasey looks a bit discouraged

"Can't I stay in a hotel or something?" I butted in, that does seem to be the most logical choice, wouldn't it? The mayor sighed

"Ocarina Inn is booked solid, you see, the Animal Festival is later this week, and ranchers from different islands are staying to help out" the mayor said unhappily

"Hey! And were exactly was I supposed to stay for the next week?" Kasey said bitterly

"I was hoping you had that figured out by today…" The mayor said. Kasey and Hamilton continued bickering for a while. This is a weird situation to be stuck in, not exactly what I was expecting. What the heck am I to do now? I knew this was a bad idea, why do I have to be so optimistic all the time?

"I can't ask my friends, last minute, to sleep over, they all live with their guardians and those can get really fuzzy about last minute things. Besides neither Angela nor I can just stay at a stranger's house… also, it's pretty late already" Kasey pointed out

"Well, in a way you two aren't strangers…as of now..." The mayor drifted off

"What are you getting at old man?" Kasey said annoyed, I looked up confused

"If only, for the time being, Angela could stay here. At least until we figure this out" the mayor said

"What? No way!" I said, standing up, slamming my hands on the table. Kasey gave me a smug look

"Yeah, well I wouldn't want that either princess" Kasey said, crossing his arms. The mayor stood up

"You are always welcomed to have a sleepover with Gilly" the mayor suggested

"You should do that! Go have a sleepover with Gilly" I said, looking at Kasey. Kasey looked bewildered

"Oh no! I much rather share my house! I don't mind if she stays" Kasey said sarcastically

"That settles it, Angela will stay here. Now, goodnight you two" The mayor said, turning to leave, I walked over to him

"You can't do that; I can't stay here with him!" I said looking at Kasey. The mayor ignored my remark and continued down the path; Kasey followed him, clearly discussing where I should stay. I take another look around the house, the mess is so disgusting.

"Oh Goddess, what have I gotten myself into now..." I mutter under my breath

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**Authors Note:  
**  
Hello and welcome to my first fanfiction!  
I hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks for reading~

-Fal


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harvest Moon.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

After a set of clean sheets and about ten feet of distance, I managed to sleep in Kasey's bed for most of the night (his load snores, all the way from the couch, kept me up for half the night). I slowly open my eyes to the now sunlit room; cool wind softly blows through the open window. I get up and look around the clean studio-room (I made Kasey tidy up before we fell asleep). The clock on the nightstand reads in red 9:17am. I stand up, stretching and yawing. Kasey doesn't appear to be around, I look over to the kitchen, were coffee is already made. I guess he's out in the fields; that means I have the small bathroom all to myself. I walk over to my suitcase and grab the first set of clothes I see: a long light green tunic shirt, a pair of light denim shorts and of course, underwear. I neatly fold the clothes; grab the towel Kasey gave me last night and head towards the bathroom. Without knocking I open the door, I walk in and bump into a shirtless Kasey stepping out of the shower

"Shit, Angela!" Kasey screams, quickly grabbing the nearest towel and wrapping it around his waist. I back off, hurriedly covering my face with my clothes, to hide both my embarrassment and slight blush

"Oh Goddess, Kasey! I'm so sorry! I thought you were out in the fields! I swear I didn't see anything" I peek over my clothes to see a slightly amused Kasey smirking at me; I look at the part of my clothes that's facing him, to find my somewhat childish undies

"Goddess!" I scream as I slam the door behind me. I run to the couch and turn on the TV, I need a distraction, oh Goddess, kill me now. I grab the pillow on the couch and press it to my face. I really need my own place- and soon! As I hear Kasey's footsteps behind the couch I slowly slide down to the floor, as if the floor would suck me in a black hole where I could hide forever. Okay I'm being a bit dramatic. I sneak a glance over the pillow to see Kasey looking down on me, luckily, fully clothed. I blush a bit as I grab my clothes and hold them to my chest, making sure this time, my underwear face me. Kasey clears his throat and sits beside me, I look at him shyly

"Look, Angela, I know we didn't have the best of beginnings and quite frankly I don't really like the idea of living with you," Kasey said, a bit sarcastically "but if we want to manage this next week, we have to get used to the idea that more awkward moments like that are going to happen…" I nod "…So may I suggest, let's just forget anything that happened and start over? I'll show you around town later, if you want"

"I'd like that…" I said as Kasey held out his hand

"Truce?" I shook it and smiled "Truce"

~ooOOoo~

I usually don't take long getting ready, in fact, I tend to be the kind of girl who grabs the first outfit in her closet, puts it on and walks away. However, due to recent events, I find myself in need of a long, hot shower. As I stand under the shower head, letting the water calm me down, I hear Kasey knocking on the bathroom door, for the fourth time already. It's not that I'm ignoring him on purpose; his screaming could be heard loud and clear, I just need some alone time.

"I'm telling you Angela, if you don't open that door right now!" I can hear Kasey's voice scream through the door. I take this as a hint, I decide to obey this warning, turning the shower off and getting dress.  
"Angela! For Goddess sake! Have you drowned in there?" I decide to keep ignoring his amusing remarks; I gather my things and walk to the door. I wait until he knocks on the door once  
"I'm warning you Angela!" there's another knock. I carefully open the door before he gets a chance to knock on it again  
"What are you going to do, huh?" I say, grinning at a slightly stunned Kasey. He quickly collects himself  
"Uh, nothing, nothing… Glad to see you are finally out of there. Well shall we get going?" Kasey walked outside, before I follow him, I go over to my suitcase and grab my wallet  
"Angela! Hurry up!" I hear Kasey's voice call from outside  
"Coming!" I call out, as I lock the door to the house

Outside the weather was absolutely perfect! The sun was high up, not a cloud in its way; a small breeze gently blew. Looking around the farmland, it looks like a completely different place from last night. It's as if the whole place came to life overnight. The grass gently dances with the soft breeze; assorted birds sign and fly around the fields. The field nearest the house, already watered, has tiny sprouts popping through the soil. I really am amazed; this is the sight I've been waiting to see! I look over at Kasey and smile; he looks satisfied as he sees me

"Did you water the plants?" I ask  
"Of course I did, you dummy. Who else could it have been? The magical Harvest Sprites?" Kasey said with a chuckle, I stick my tongue out at him  
"I didn't mean it that way. I just thought you got up a couple minutes before I did" I said thoughtfully, he laughs  
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong. I always wake up at six, sometimes earlier. I get up, do my chores, shower and run some errands if needed"  
"I see, I guess I should start following your example" Kasey smiled  
"Come on, I'll show you around the great Lyra Farm!" Kasey walks towards the ratty looking buildings next to the house.  
"At the moment there are no animals…" Kasey began "right before your grandfather died, he donated them to Horn Ranch"  
"Why did he do that?"  
"I'm not sure, but he was already old. He never really asked for help. I guess with his old age, taking care of the animals became too much, so before anything happened to them- or to him, he donated them" Kasey looks at me, I give him an assuring nod  
"Anyways, this is the chicken coop and right over here is the barn" Kasey said, pointing at each building respectfully. We walked around the bigger building, behind the barn there's a small hot spring  
"You can regain your energy" Kasey said as we walk towards the pond. There really wasn't much to see apart from the three different plots of lands and the watermill "…And that's basically it! Any questions, doubts, comments, suggestions?" Kasey said as we walked down the path, I giggle lightly as I shake my head "It's not much, but it's definitely home" Kasey added  
"Now, where to?" I ask him. Kasey puts a hand to his chin, as if he were scheming something  
"Let's head into Harmonica Town, I'll give you the tour. Seeing as you haven't eating anything, and you know, I'm a great guy, I'll treat you to lunch" He said with a wink, walking down the path, I playfully punched his arm  
"Don't be silly"

We walk down the same path I took yesterday with Hamilton, as we cross a bridge bright and colorful buildings of all sizes start coming into view  
"Welcome to Harmonica Town! Mostly all the buildings are different types of shops" Kasey explained. There's a faint smell of ocean salt in the air, well, duh, the town is surrounded by the ocean. I follow closely behind Kasey as he leads me up a small hill; he explains some of the buildings as we pass them: Photography Studio, Town Hall, Tailor, School, Clinic…  
"And finally, our stop for now, Ocarina Inn" Kasey says, stopping in front of a peach colored building. Right outside the building was a strong looking man, maybe in his late twenties, with tan skin and sandy blond hair. His wears a cowboy hat and is completely oblivious to our presence; the guy is strumming away on his guitar. I look at Kasey curiously; Kasey turns his attention to the man. The man suddenly puts his guitar down and turns to look at us

"Kasey" the man spoke, nodding his head in Kasey's direction  
"Nice to see you, Calvin" Kasey said, returning the nod. The man- Calvin, turns his attention to me  
"Who might you be, miss?" Calvin says, extending out his hand, as if to shake my own  
"My name is Angela, nice to meet you" I say weakly, as I extend my own hand. Calvin takes my hand and gives it a soft kiss. I could feel my face heating up, I look at Kasey a bit embarrassed  
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Angela" Calvin says with a smile, Kasey clears his throat  
"If you don't mind Calvin, I'm treating Angela to lunch. If you could excuse us…" Kasey says, lightly pushing me through the door  
"I'll see you around" I could hear Calvin call behind us, I look over my shoulder to see Calvin playing his guitar again

The Inn was bursting with energy; Many of the tables are busy with towns chatting busily over lunch. Over at the kitchen area a flustered looking older woman with pink hair was scolding a young strawberry blond waitress. Next to them a woman with blue eyes greeted us apologetically. On the opposite side of the Inn there's a man with greying hair concentrated on a book, I assume he must be the Innkeeper. I look at Kasey and he smiles before walking towards an empty table near the entrance.

"I guarantee you'll love the food here" Kasey looks over at the kitchen area were the older woman is attending a frying pan "Yolanda is an absolute genius when it comes to cooking" He finished with a wide grin

As if on cue the strawberry blond waitress comes over, humming a cheerful tune "Hello Kasey!" she says with a sing song voice "It's nice to see you today!" she adds with a big smile, Kasey quickly shifts, turning his attention to the young waitress, he returns her smile, although his looks a bit more mischievous  
"It's always nice to see you, Maya" Kasey said, his voice tone even changed slightly, the waitress started giggling, covering her face with her face with her note pad, trying to hide a deep blush  
"Oh stop it, Kase!" the waitress said, lightly touching Kasey's shoulder, he just chuckled, their conversation carried on, without any mention of my presence.

I'm starting to think I am either being completely ignored or there is simply an invisible force between us, so I do what any person in my situation would do – I cleared my throat, loudly.

"So, Kasey, is this the, uh, girlfriend you were telling me about nonstop?" I asked as innocently as I could manage. They both turned their heads towards me, the waitress blushing a deep shade of red and Kasey looked at me as if he was ready to murder me, I simply smiled  
"Of course not, we-" Kasey began, his voice back to its normal tone, he was interrupted by the waitress  
"I haven't seen you before, I'm Maya. Nice to meet you…?" Maya said, her voice sounding a bit disappointed  
"I'm Angela, nice to meet you too," I said "and don't worry, I was kidding about the whole girlfriend thing" Maya just smiled  
"Well, when you guys are ready to order just give a shout and I'll be here" the waitress said, skipping away to another table

~ooOOoo~

If you were wondering, Kasey did stick to his deal and paid for lunch. I also have to say that even though I only ate a Vegetable Sandwich and half a slice of Kasey's Blueberry Pie, it was the best lunch I've had since my mother's cooking, and that's a lot to say. Sadly, I did not inherit my mother's talents in the kitchen. Moving on, after lunch, Kasey continued his little tour of Castanet, after Harmonica Town, we went to the Garmon Mine district and after that we ended up in Flute Fields. I met a lot of people, unfortunately, remembering names is not particularly my forte; I just hope I can improvise next time I meet them around. Needless to say, when the tour finished and we were finally at the house, I quickly jumped in bed, exhausted from all the walking around. I think I can manage this life, my only worry is that of any girl my age, moving in a strange new place: would I fit in?

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**Authors Note:****  
**  
Hello, once again.  
I'm really sorry for the long wait between the previous chapter and this one; I really don't have an excuse, just college. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took me a bit to have it finished and as always, thanks for reading~

-Fal


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